All Done By Lunchtime

The V Festivals seemed to feel a benefit from not having Glastonbury in this year’s calendar as the August 19-20 twinned event sold out in just three hours.

“As delighted as we are that the festival has sold out, we are not shocked it has happened so quickly. It is a testament to the lineup we’ve managed to secure this year,” festival director Bob Angus told The Independent.

Radiohead and Morrissey headline a bill that Q magazine editor Paul Rees described as “the best-ever lineup for V.” It includes Beck, Faithless, Kasabian, Paul Weller, Gavin DeGraw, Keane, Editors, Groove Armada, Bloc Party, Fatboy Slim, Starsailor, The Magic Numbers, Razorlight, and Sugababes.

The 130,000 tickets for the event – which takes place at Chelmsford in Essex and Weston Park, Staffordshire – went on sale at 9 a.m. March 3 and were all gone by mid-day.

It was the start of a rush of activity on the U.K. festival front. Live Nation announced March 8 that The Who will headline the second day of its new, two-day Hyde Park Calling festival July 2. Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters will play the band’s epic Dark Side Of The Moon on the opening night.

Live Nation U.K. managing director Stuart Galbraith had already confirmed that The Who will headline one night of the new Leeds version of its Wireless Festival.

Singer Roger Daltrey and guitarist Pete Townshend both showed at the Hard Rock to talk about what will be the first time the act has played a full-length London set in 10 years. Galbraith will be adding more names in the coming days.

Two days before the Hyde Park Calling announcement, he said last year’s inaugural Wireless Festival was so successful that he didn’t hesitate to expand to Leeds for this year’s event.

The confirmed lineup for the Hyde Park leg of Wireless June 21-25 includesThe Strokes, David Gray, Massive Attack, Belle & Sebastian, KT Tunstall, The Flaming Lips, Super Furry Animals, Beth Orton, James Blunt, Depeche Mode, and Goldfrapp.

The Leeds Harewood House bill June 24-25 has Massive Attack, The Who, Goldfrapp, The Flaming Lips, Pharrell, Super Furry Animals, DJ Shadow, and The Zutons.

The Isle Of Wight Festival, which was revived by John Giddings from Solo and is now firmly re-established as part of the summer outdoor season, has announced that The Foo Fighters and Coldplay have joined The Prodigyas this year’s headliners.

Giddings said he couldn’t be happier with the headliners or any part of the festival’s 5th anniversary bill June 9-11, which also has Placebo, Goldfrapp, Primal Scream, Richard Ashcroft, Lou Reed, Maximo Park, Kubb, and Editors.

–John Gammon